Otis Chandler, a founding member of Goodreads, has introduced a groundbreaking web curation platform called “Smashing.” This innovative service leverages artificial intelligence alongside human expertise to tailor the best internet content for its users.
Smashing is crafted to adapt to individual user preferences by monitoring their online habits including their preferred articles, frequented websites, and topics of interest. This nurturing of personalized content is further enhanced by Smashing’s human curators who meticulously select a mix of articles, videos, and other content types, ensuring a rich and varied collection.
Chandler aspires for Smashing to be a pivotal resource for discovering and interacting with the most pertinent and engaging web material. He emphasizes the symbiotic relationship between AI and human judgment in curating content. According to Chandler, while AI excels at recognizing patterns and predicting preferences from massive datasets, it still needs the discerning human element to provide depth and context.
The AI component of Smashing operates on sophisticated machine learning algorithms that process and analyze large data pools to identify trends and personalize suggestions. The content is then refined by the platform’s curators who hand-select the most compelling pieces, guaranteeing high-quality standards are met.
The platform is user-friendly with a straightforward and clean interface that promotes content discovery. The main page of Smashing features a dynamic feed of recommended articles, videos, and more, segmented into various categories for easy navigation. Additionally, it includes a bookmarking tool that allows users to save items for later consumption.
Currently, Smashing is in its beta phase and accessible by invitation only, with plans to expand access in the near future. It operates on a free model, planning to finance itself through ads and sponsored content.
Overall, Smashing represents a novel approach in web curation, combining technological insights with human expertise to curate a customized and engaging user experience, making it a promising tool for web discovery and content consumption.